Cape girls' softball tourney going strong

Notice of open registration was posted online back on Nov. 1. By Thanksgiving, all 40 slots for this weekend’s Cape Cod College Showcase girls’ softball tournament at the Hoyle School had been filled.

This travel-team tournament is sponsored by the Swansea Girls’ Softball League and directed by Mr. Softball Tournament, Donald DiBiasio, president of the SGSL and head coach at Case High School.

Greg Sullivan

Notice of open registration was posted online back on Nov. 1. By Thanksgiving, all 40 slots for this weekend’s Cape Cod College Showcase girls’ softball tournament at the Hoyle School had been filled.

This travel-team tournament is sponsored by the Swansea Girls’ Softball League and directed by Mr. Softball Tournament, Donald DiBiasio, president of the SGSL and head coach at Case High School.

The action started Friday morning and will run through Sunday at Hoyle’s six fields, owned by the town but maintained, manicured and pampered by the SGSL. The field features East Coast teams from as far away as New Jersey and Maine.

Like the other six tournaments hosted by the SGSL this spring and summer (DiBiasio ran nine last year), the Cape Cod College Showcase serves as a fundraiser for the league. And, as DiBiasio notes, hosting the tourneys saves money because it allows the league’s own teams to participate in high-quality competition without travel and lodging expenses.

“We run tournaments just to keep our head above water,” DiBiasio said. “Just cutting the grass costs $100 a week. I just got one load of infield mix and it costs $600.”

The umpiring bill for this weekend alone is $12,600, DiBiasio said.

The tourneys, particularly this one, are also a plus for the local economy.

DiBiasio said that for the CCCS, 24 to 26 teams (along with families) are in hotels and motels from Seekonk to Dartmouth to Taunton. It’s safe to assume they are also eating at local restaurants and, perhaps, even doing a little shopping.

This week’s showcase is geared toward players who may be on course to play college ball at Divisions 2 and 3. The SGSL tourneys are ASA and/or PONY sanctioned. DiBiasio is the ASA deputy commissioner for southeastern Massachusetts.

One disturbing trend DiBiasio has noticed is a decline in parental volunteering. He said it’s understandable because parents now seem far more stretched with various children playing various sports, sometimes around the calendar.

“Parents are running in 10 different directions,” he said. “Times have changed. It’s everywhere.”

DiBiasio, a Swansea police officer, pays his tournament staff, consisting mostly of his family members. He said that pay amounts to about $3 per hour.

His bargain-basement staff knows what it’s doing. The tournament runs smoothly, the food tent is a must-stop and the fields are very well maintained. The popularity of his tourneys are a testament to the organization. When teams come back time after time, it means something is being done right. And, DiBiasio stresses, there is no waste.

“Every penny goes back into the complex,” he said. “We wanted to have one of the great facilities in the state.”

The public is welcome to attend the SGSL tournaments. There is no admission fee.

For more information on the Swansea Girls Softball League and the tournaments, visit www.swanseasoftball.com.